Chapter 2

Lila's POV

I got the coffee shop early, ordered a latte I wouldn't drink, and picked a corner booth where no one could overhear.

Nolan walked in ten minutes later, grinning.

"Your husband," he said, sliding into the seat across from me, "didn't sleep at all last night."

I wrapped my hands around the cup. "What?"

"He kept staring at the ceiling. Every time I asked if he was okay, he said 'I'm fine' in that voice that means he's absolutely not fine." Nolan leaned back. "Then around 3 AM, he asked me about 'that woman who came to visit.'"

My heart did something stupid. "What did you tell him?"

"Nothing. I said we'd talk in the morning." He studied my face. "But Lila, he's obsessed. I've never seen him like this. He kept saying your eyes looked familiar, like he should know you but couldn't figure out how."

I took a breath. "I have an idea. It's crazy."

"I'm listening."

"What if we don't tell him the truth yet? What if we let him think we're in a contract marriage? That we never loved each other. That it's just... business."

Nolan's eyebrows shot up. Then he started laughing. His hand over his mouth trying to stay quiet.

"You want him to chase you," he said. "Oh my God. You want a do-over."

"Is that so wrong?" I felt my face get hot. "Your brother proposed three months after we met. Three months, Nolan. First kiss to 'I do' in ninety days. I love him, but sometimes I wonder what it would've been like if he'd actually courted me. You know, like a normal person."

"Instead of 'Marry me, I don't want to waste time.'" Nolan was still grinning. "Yeah, that sounds like Nathan."

"Exactly." I leaned forward. "So if he's forgotten everything, if he's looking at me like a stranger he just fell in love with... why not let him pursue me properly this time?"

Nolan was quiet for a second. Then he nodded. "I'm in."

"Really?"

"Hell yes. My brother needs to learn how to romance his own wife. This is perfect." He pulled out his phone, started typing notes. "Okay, details. Contract marriage—why?"

"He needed marriage for inheritance and company image. I needed money to open my bakery."

"Two-year contract?"

"Yeah. And it's almost up. We've been living separately. No emotional attachment."

"He's going to hate this," Nolan said cheerfully. "The man falls in love at first sight and finds out she's his contract wife who's about to leave him. It's like a bad romance novel."

It's exactly like a bad romance novel, I thought. That's the point.

"One rule," I said. "We don't drag this out forever. Just long enough for him to really try. To actually chase me."

"Deal." Nolan raised his coffee cup. "To giving my brother the proper courtship education he clearly missed."

I clinked my cup against his, smiling for the first time since yesterday.

---

Nathan stared at the ceiling tiles. Again.

The door opened. Nolan walked in, looking way too happy for someone visiting his injured brother.

"You're in a good mood," Nathan said.

"I had good coffee." Nolan pulled a chair next to the bed. "So. You wanted to talk about yesterday's visitor."

Nathan's heart picked up. "The woman. Yes. Who is she?"

Nolan's smile faded. He looked uncomfortable. "Her name is Lila Bennett."

"Lila." Nathan tested the name. "How do I know her?"

"She's your wife."

"What?"

"You're married. Have been for almost two years." Nolan wasn't looking at him. Bad sign.

"I'm married." Nathan processed this. "To her. To Lila." His chest felt tight. "Then why doesn't she feel like a stranger? I mean, she does, but also," He stopped. "Wait. If we're married, why don't I remember? Two years isn't that long. And why did she look so devastated when I didn't recognize her if we're just—"

"It's a contract marriage."

Nathan went still. "A what?"

"You needed to be married. For the inheritance, for the board, for company stability. She needed capital to open her bakery. You made a deal." Nolan finally met his eyes. "Two years. No emotions."

Something in Nathan's chest cracked. "We don't love each other."

"It wasn't part of the agreement."

"But I," Nathan's hands fisted in the sheets. "Yesterday, when she walked in, I couldn't breathe. My heart," He laughed, but it hurt. "This is insane. I fall in love at first sight with my own contract wife?"

"I'm sorry, man."

"How much longer?" Nathan asked. "On the contract."

"Few weeks. Then you're both free to go your separate ways."

Nathan stared at his brother. "She's going to leave."

"That was always the plan."

"Does she want to leave?"

Nolan shrugged. "You'd have to ask her."

Nathan leaned back against the pillows. His head throbbed. Lila Bennett. My wife. Who I don't remember. Who I fell in love with instantly. Who's going to leave in a few weeks because I was stupid enough to marry her without actually trying to win her heart.

"We live separately?" he asked.

"Yeah. She has her own place above the bakery."

"We don't... spend time together?"

"Not unless it's for appearances. Company events. That kind of thing."

Nathan closed his eyes. "So I married the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, made it purely transactional, and now she's about to walk away."

"Basically."

"I'm an idiot."

"I won't argue with that."

Nathan opened his eyes. "I need her number."

"Nathan,"

"I need to call her. Talk to her. I need to," He stopped. "I need to try. Even if it's just a contract. Even if she's planning to leave. I need to at least try."

Nolan pulled out his phone, scrolled, then showed Nathan the screen. "She's probably at the bakery. That's her contact."

Nathan memorized it. "What's the bakery called?"

"Sweet Lila's. On Fifth Street."

Sweet Lila's. Of course it was. Nathan smiled despite everything. "I'm going to fix this."

"Fix what?"

"Whatever I did wrong the first time." Nathan looked at his brother. "I'm going to make her want to stay."

After Nolan left, Nathan grabbed his phone. His fingers hovered over Lila's contact. What would he even say?

Hi, I'm your contract husband who forgot you exist. Want to grab dinner?

He scrolled through his photo gallery instead. Nolan was right, there were barely any photos of them together. A few from what looked like company events. Lila in a formal dress, standing next to him but not touching. Professional smile. The kind you give strangers.

We really didn't have anything, he thought. Just a contract.

But that didn't match the way she'd looked at him yesterday. The devastation in her eyes when he didn't recognize her. That wasn't the reaction of someone fulfilling a business obligation.

Nathan opened his laptop. Typed into Google: how to fix a failing contract marriage

The results were useless. He tried again: how to make your wife fall in love with you

Still nothing helpful. Finally, he found an anonymous life advice forum. Created an account. Stared at the empty post box.

"My contract wife and I are almost at the end of our two-year agreement. I lost my memory and fell in love with her at first sight. She doesn't know I feel this way. How do I make her want to stay?"

He deleted it. Too revealing. Tried again:

"I fell in love with someone I'm not supposed to love. How do I—"

Deleted that too. His fingers moved on their own:

"Contract marriage ending soon. Want to make it real. Advice?"

He hovered over "post" for a solid minute. Then closed the laptop.

What am I doing?

Nathan looked at Lila's contact again. Her profile picture was from some company event. She looked beautiful and completely untouchable.

"Doesn't matter what happened before," he said to the empty room. "Doesn't matter that it was just a contract. Right now, I want to know her. The real her."

He opened a new text message. Typed: Hi, this is Nathan. Can we talk?

Deleted it. Too formal. Tried again: Lila, I'd like to see you. When are you free?

Still wrong. He set the phone down, frustrated.

What if she says no? What if she's counting down the days until this contract ends? What if the only reason she looked upset yesterday was because my memory loss complicated her exit strategy?

No. That wasn't it. He'd seen her face. That was real hurt.

Nathan picked up his phone one more time. Typed: I don't remember us. But I'd like to. Can I take you to dinner?

He hit send before he could overthink it.

Then waited, heart pounding, for her reply.